narutofanonfandomcom-20200222-history
Chronicles of the Leaf: Dante's Gate and the Library of Decease
The Story So Far Hokori had just won a deadly battle with Baransu. Heavily wounded, he wanders back to Konoha and sees his cousin Phora in her death throes... Prologue: Phora's Death Wish and A Strange Meeting Hokori goes straight to the hospital to see Phora. "You're alive," she said faintly. "Come, please. I want to give you my chakra so you can pass on the legacy of the Twelve Guardians for me, Hokori." Hokori walks closer to Phora deathbed and takes off his shirt and scarf. Phora places her palm on Hokori's abdomen. "Are you sure about this, Phora?" he says, about to cry. "Yes," she replied, as she begins to deliver her chakra into him, a bright purple and blue aura appeared around her hand. After a while, she began turning into stone. "You are going to be great things, Hokori, I wish you a great life ahead." When all her chakra has been given to Hokori, she would completely crystallize. Hokori stands over her body and after a while, he started seeing out of his left eye again. But I thought I overused it when I used Amatsujūjiro to block the explosion...! He tries to activate his Sharingan and it flickered on and off. It must be Phora's chakra slowly healing my eyes and body. Thank you cousin. Hokori picks up her sword, the Kiba, and walked out the room. Downstairs, right outside the hospital doors, Aki, Fuyuki and Yasashi stood. Aki said, "He's going to walk out of those doors in three... two... one..." At one, Hokori walked out of the hospital. Aki cheered, "Yes! My sensing abilities have been exponentially increased!" Hokori turns his head to look at Aki. "You can sense people now?" Hokori asked. "I've only been gone for a week and now you can sense people. And why are you glowing purple and what's with your clothing?" Aki flushed and said, "Too many questions at once but I'll answer them all anyway. I don't have enough base chakra to hold off the transformation effects of Sage Mode so I have to be in Star Chakra Mode to use it. Apparently, my Star Chakra Mode grants me these vestal clothings, a first among Star Chakra Mode wielders." She then cocked her head to her left. "Someone's here! I sense malicious chakra. Get ready to fight, guys!" Fuyuki entered Clairvoyance Burst Mode and kindly told Yasashi to hide behind her. Waddling into the scene was the living, breathing Easter Egg of Reality known as MoRueran, who most of the Leaf Village knew as Chuutarou. Oddly enough, his abnormal chakra gave Sensory types sort of a headache, as the chaotic aberration that was the source of his power was often perceived as malevolent, or even evil. The happy man-child in purple coats was sticking out his tongue and making raspberries when he spotted a familiar trio: Hokori Uzumaki, Aki Yamanaka, and Fuyuki Haru, who appeared to be in a battle-ready stance in anticipation of some sort of adversary. Adjusting his chef hat as he twitched his mutant purple monkey ears, Mo scurried towards them while not all too aware that he was unconsciously radiating his own unique chakra. "Stay back!" Fuyuki and Aki said simultaneously, "Who are you and what are you doing in the Leaf?" Startled by the sudden show of hostility, MoRueran frantically looked to his left and right to see if whatever enemy they were sensing was near him, this was followed by the childlike cook immediately having a total meltdown by running around in circles while he flailed his arms. Having seen no signs of any visible source of danger, the purple-clad weirdo was quick enough to assume that it was him that they were referring to. Hopping into the nearest alleyway, the Utari boy covered his head-- chef hat and all-- in hopes that the trio either managed to see the Leaf insignia on the back of his coat, or they would pass on by and dismiss his presence. Hokori stops Chuutarou from his childish act. "Looks we didn't mean to see you as a threat ok." He reassured. "My peers just thought you were a threat by your odd chakra, is all." Even though I can't see his chakra, he is still pretty odd and unusual. Teizen Uchiha came rambling around and asked his niece, "Fuyuki, I sense malicious chakra. Where is the enemy?" Fuyuki calmed her uncle down, "False alarm, Uncle. Just some weird chef guy with a weird hat." Teizen's purple eyes glanced around until he focused on something. "Yeah, hate to say this but this 'weird chef guy with a weird hat' will go with you on your next mission." Aki and Fuyuki's mouths dropped. "SAY WHAT?!" Teizen calmed his niece down and explained, "We had just received a secret missive from the Hidden Star about a certain gate. It is called Dante's Gate." Collectively, they raised an eyebrow. "Dante's Gate?" Aki asked. "Yes," Teizen answered, "Through his excellent research, Sumaru has discovered that only those who can naturally generate star chakra are able to enter." Fuyuki counted heads, "Not counting Weird Chef Guy and Yasashi, we all can generate star chakra." Aki then pointed out, "Weird Chef Guy can't generate star chakra. How come he's on this mission with us? I vote that just Team Inojin go." Fuyuki said, "I second that notion." Hokori then said, "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. I can't naturally generate star chakra. How come I'm going?" Both Fuyuki and Aki looked at him and said flatly, "You can generate star chakra. We both felt the same sensation when near Phora: a tingling sensation that indicates she could also use star chakra." Fuyuki finalized, "And she had passed on all of her chakra into you. I can clearly sense Phora's chakra inside you. So you have all the rights to go." Hokori just looked down at his feet and said nothing. "Well, Uncle, you heard us. We don't wanna take Weird Chef Guy with us. We'll go by ourselves." Teizen said, "Oh no you don't. I'm your team leader for this S-rank mission only. Appar-" Cutting him off, Aki cheered, "An S-RANK MISSION? ALRIGHT!!!" She happily bounded in the rough direction of the Hidden Star. Teizen continued, "-ently, there is this girl that will guide us to where Dante's Gate is located." Teizen sighed and wondered when will he get children. He beckoned to Hokori and Fuyuki to follow. Fuyuki entered Stellar Clairvoyance Sage Mode and took to the skies. She turned around and yelled at Hokori, "You coming, darling?" Finally noticing that things seemed to have worked themselves out, MoRueran was able to hear the part that he was to come along on this seemingly perilous mission, which immediately caused the Utari boy to zip along at incredible speeds and next to the quickly departing team. Normally, or according to what's considered normal to these ninja folk and their highfalutin ways, such places like Magano could only ever be entered by those who are able to naturally produce star chakra or some specific power or requirement. The Utari, although they themselves can't produce star chakra, were able to negate the effects of a similar environment due to the principles written by ancestor Kunneiwa Rimse. In his early teachings which involved some crazy philosophical trains of thought and shamanic alchemical practices that gave rise to the creation of Azoth, Kunneiwa proposed that in order to confront evil, it was deemed just as effective to fight it off with another source of evil. That was how the Utari survived the invasion that took place during the Fourth Great Shinobi War (AWN), as the natives from Mimtar committed what amounted to mass genocide by actively hunting down, torturing, and mutilating the part of the White Zetsu Army that had been sent there purely for sport. The principle of "Evil vs Evil" was also unconsciously applied to these mysterious people's physiology, as the adverse effects from the aberration within their chakra centers actually counteracted the toxic effects of an inhospitable part of the their homeland that they explored in the past. In a contest of Poison beating Poison, the debilitating effects of MoRueran's radioactive chakra would win, as it would rather cancel out the effects of an external hazard rather than share its victim. The Weird Chef merely clapped and made raspberries in his newly restored good cheer. Hokori looks down at Yasashi. I don't know what do with her since she does need my help he ponders. "Hokori, I can go the the Hokage office and stay with them if you want," She said softly. "Are you sure you can stand on your own?" he said. "I'm sure," she replies. Hokori makes a water clone to follow her to the office as he goes with the team. Chapter 1: The Secret Missive Rewind the clock by an hour Inside the Hokage office... Teizen was standing off to the side and stared at his brother, who was sitting in the Hokage's chair. Teizen repeated what he said everyday: "Ni-san, you look great sitting in that chair." Ryo just simply nodded and said nothing. Teizen walked over to check on his brother. "Do you not feel well, ni-san?" Ryo muttered, "I don't." Teizen announced, "Go and rest, ni-san, I'll do the rest." Before Ryo could answer, a pigeon face-planted into the window. The two brothers looked at each other then at the pigeon. Teizen popped the window open and the pigeon hopped in. On its back was a letter holder. It had the insignia of the Hidden Star. Teizen said gleefully, "It must be from Sumaru! We haven't talked in forever!" Teizen happily unrolled the letter and began reading. The smile quickly melted from his face and he showed his brother the letter. Ryo soon had the same face as Teizen. Just then, another paper fell from Ryo's grip. Teizen bent down to pick it up and read it. Teizen chuckled and thought, Oh, that vixen! She might as well send a paper bomb to Shiena! Ryo ordered his brother, "Teizen, take Team Inojin and head to the Hidden Star. I would like you to investigate this Dante's Gate." Teizen snapped to attention and saluted, "Understood, ni-san!" Ryo yelled after and gave him certificates, "Take these to my daughter and company. Congratulate them on their promotion to jōnin." Teizen put on a big smile and nodded, "Will do, ni-san!" He hurried out of the door and glanced around with his purple eye and his Rinnegan. He quickly found his niece and company. Suddenly, he sensed a malicious chakra approaching the team. He then noticed that Team Inojin was in battle stance. Teizen thought, as he flew to their location, I guess I really shouldn't worry. It's my brother's daughter, after all. Chapter 2: Journey to the Hidden Star and Dante's Gate Back to the present... Fuyuki yelled at Aki to slow down as she was in too much of a jolly mood. Aki flew with her wings and called back, "Uncle Teizen, where are we going?" Teizen replied, "That's why I said that I'll be in front!" He charged ahead of Aki and led the way. "Do you guys know this place anyway!?" Hokori shouts as he is right behind Fuyuki. Fuyuki replied, "Not really. This is an investigation mission so we don't have any info on it." After a while, both Aki and Fuyuki felt restless. "Why do I get the feeling that something's off?" Fuyuki asked. Teizen replied to their suspicions, "Yeah, something's off." Teizen's eyes widened and he yelled, "Above!" They began engaging the Black Zetsu from before. Fuyuki and Aki sliced and diced through them while Hokori washed many of them away. Collective voices began whispering, "Come... Come... to the Library... There you will... meet your doom...!!" With the strange encounter, they arrived to the Hidden Star. Waiting to greet them was a beautiful girl. Standing next to her was Sumaru. Teizen shook hands with Sumaru, "Been a while, buddy. This is Team Inojin, second generation. She is my niece, Fuyuki Haru, her best friend Aki Yamanaka, Hokori Uzumaki and MoRueran." The air around Sumaru glowed purple. "Well, all of you pass the requirements except for this person." he said, jolting his finger in MoRueran's direction. The girl stepped up and introduced herself, "Hi, girls (and the unimportant guy)! My name is Reiko! I'm Teizen's lover! Nice to meet ya!" Fuyuki reacted first, "WHAT?????????? You're Uncle Teizen's LOVER???" Aki nearly lost her balance and Teizen's face burned red hot. Teizen whispered, "You just had to up and say that, huh, Reiko?" Reiko blushed and stuck her tongue out, "Yep. Sorry!" Teizen hit himself on the face while Sumaru admonished his daughter. Sumaru cleared his throat, "As you all know, we are sending you to Dante's Gate and its mysterious Library of Decease. Since you all can generate star chakra, you will be able to resist the pull of the Library." Fuyuki didn't care about the pull as long as they could complete the mission. Reiko, still flushed, announced, "I'll lead you there. Follow me!" Hokori stays quiet as he just follows with the rest of the group. He ponders a lot in his mind, Phora gave me this chakra for a reason now what should I do with it? Why can't I activate my Sharingan anymore? I feel weird inside, is this what should be happening. He starts the shake his head in confusion and frustration of this disability he just gained and why his cousin would sacrifices their life for him, then it hit him. How did she know I was in Konoha? Does she know where I was all this time? Why didn't she help me in the past? Does... does she know my parents??? He began to slow down and tear up at the thought of all these unanswered questions. Both Fuyuki and Aki hung back with Hokori. "Hey, Hokori, what's wrong?" Fuyuki asked. "You can't hide your thoughts from us, ya know?" Aki added. "Well, you know what's wrongs since you can read my mind so what's the point in me explaining?" Hokori said, wiping the tears off his face. "My parents were assassinated days after I was born and one of the assassins took me in. I never knew that he killed him until I was 9. When I found out, I was devastated and gained my Sharingan, I tried to care for my friends like they were family. I spent a whole year training in the mountains and when I come back, all my friends are dead. Now I try to avenge my cousin but in the end she was gonna die too." Hokori stopped speaking and just wished he could forget all these memories of the past. Fuyuki looked at Aki and nodded. Fuyuki asked, "I could erase your memories for you." Teizen heard this and scolded Fuyuki, "HEY! That's very disrespectful." Fuyuki shrugged her shoulders and replied, "It could help him feel better." Aki looked at Hokori and asked, "What do you want to do?" Hokori looks down, "I want to know my parents and who they were," he states, "I need to know what they are." He looks back up in determination and starts to speed up. "I'm going to become strong and see the legacy they left behind for me." "There it is," Fuyuki commended, "The attitude of my lover. I knew you'd say no." Aki said, "Hey, Fuyuki! You stole my lines." She just shrugged her shoulders and asked Reiko, "How far are we?" Reiko pointed in front of her. "It's just a few meters ahead." Fuyuki then placed both hands on Aki and Hokori and teleported. Teizen's eyes widened. That jutsu. Amenotejikara? Impossible! It's a Rinnegan jutsu! Teizen smirked. As expected of my elder brother's daughter. Teizen held out his hand to Reiko and asked, "Shall we?" Reiko blushed like crazy and timidly took Teizen's hand. Teizen then used the same technique as Fuyuki to teleport to the gate. Hokori slides on the ground and hits his head on the gate. He slid down the gate and landed in the dirt. "Right after my inspirational speech too" he says, his face on the dirt. He looks up and stares at the gate, "So this is it, Dan-. Wait a minute, how did we get here so fast? I don't have my Mangekyo Sharingan so my Space-Time Ninjutsu is out the question," he asks, in the meanwhile getting up. Fuyuki gasped silently and placed her hand over her left eye. "This technique... No mistaking it. It's the Amenotejikara." Out of the blue, Teizen appeared next to them. "Uncle..." Teizen lovingly rubbed Fuyuki on the head. "As expected of my elder brother's daughter!" Fuyuki flushed red and muttered, "I don't know why I obtained the Amenotejikara. Is it because of Nochi's eyes?" Teizen thought, "Huh. Maybe?" Reiko cleared her throat. "Ok, we're here. We're gonna leave the weird chef guy behind." Everyone nodded. Teizen asked the obvious. "Well, who's entering first?" Fuyuki said, "We all enter together." Everyone nodded and followed Fuyuki on her sides. As she enters, everyone enters their respective chakra modes. Teizen enters Clairvoyance Burst Mode, Fuyuki Stellar Clairvoyance Burst Mode, Reiko Stellar Sage Mode as well as Aki. Chapter 3: Dante's Gate and the Battle For some reason, the gate didn't close behind them. A voice echoed, "Finally... Has my time come to die?" The voice grew closer, "Yes... It is her. The Princess of the Seven Pillars!" Aki yelled, "Who are you?!" The voice staggered for a second. "The Sage of Yin and Yang, huh? Not interested. My only interest is to see if this Princess can end my curse." The person talking stepped out of the shadows and Team Inojin saw a hellish sight. The person spoke, "Welcome, to the Library of Decease. I am Astral Trinity or just simply Astral." Hokori looked backed at his team, then looked back at Astral, then back to his team. "What have you guys gotten me into?" he says in a sarcastic tone. Fuyuki stepped up, knowing that this person is mentioning her. "I'm assuming that I'm the Princess of the Seven Pillars." Astral echoed himself, "Yes, you are. The seventh Princess I have encountered." Fuyuki, although surprised, refused to show her emotion. "Seventh, huh? What do you mean by me ending your curse?" Astral began to explain, "I was created by the Library as a guardian. It was prophesied that I would be defeated by a girl and her sister. Once I get defeated, the girl will become the founder of a kingdom that will last many years." Now, Fuyuki was unable to hold in her surprise. "Royalty?! Now that's a surprise. Aki, Uncle Teizen, Hokori, Reiko. Stay back. I"ll take this." Fuyuki's Clairvoyance Burst Mode began to revert back to Clairvoyance Sage Mode but light purple chakra erupted out of her body. Fuyuki's eyes glowed its glaring harmony of colors. Out of her back grew wings and an ethereal crown formed on her head. Reiko eyed Fuyuki, thinking, Stellar Sage Mode? No, a second stage? Reiko then also entered the mode that Fuyuki is in. Atop her head, the halo turned into a crown, although smaller that Fuyuki's. Astral commended, "I can't believe I missed her; the Princess' sister!" Both Fuyuki and Reiko stared at each other. Fuyuki raised her eyebrow, "Sister?" Astral repeated what he had said, "Yes. You two are blood siblings, although you may not know." Before anyone could retaliate, Astral pointed his finger at Reiko, "You, ma'am, are a Haru Clan member, like Fuyuki. However, when you were born, I instantly teleported you to Hoshigakure. Your "mother" treated you like her own daughter, even if you weren't even hers. Although you can marry that person if you want, the age difference will be a problem." Teizen admitted, "True, I am already 37 years old." Reiko announced, "I don't care about age! I'm still in love with him." Astral put his hands up in an I-give-up gesture and said, "Do what you want. Princess, your parents will be glad to learn that their daughter will be royalty." Fuyuki finally snapped. "Stop the small talk and let's get to it." Fuyuki closed her left eye and used Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Teizen looked at Fuyuki and closed his left eye as well. Everyone had used the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Clusters of flames were sailing to Astral. "Testing the waters, I see?" he said as he easily dodged, "I'm very sorry but, I also am a master of the Seven Pillars." Fuyuki thought, Dodge THIS! Both Teizen and Fuyuki yelled, "Amaterasu!" The black flames of hell appeared on Astral. "Oh no. The flames of Amaterasu." Astral fell to the ground and seemingly burned to death. Fuyuki's head jerked to her left and shouted, "Hokori, look out!" Astral commended, "Wow, you can actually sense me. But too late, I'll take his life first!" Hokori seemed to have turned into mud and slowly started to melt. A kana with a line of paper bombs attached to it flew next to Astral, before it blew up Hokori grabs Aki and took her to a nearby bookshelf so she won't be caught in the explosion. "Are you ok?" he said with her in his arms. Aki gasped as Hokori grabbed her. She was pulled by his strong arms, leading her into a bookcase. With her back to the bookcase, Hokori was a few inches from her face. However, Hokori was too busy paying attention to Fuyuki's battle. Aki flushed red and her chakra cloak nearly dissipated. She forced herself to concentrate. She shook her head, thinking, No, I can't resist him! Her hands flew up to Hokori's face and scrunched them together. Their lips touched and as they kissed passionately, time seemed to stop. Unknown to Aki, her chakra cloak began to change. The crude haori changed into blazing red gowns, nearly covering Aki's feet. Ten Truth-Seeking Balls formed around her back with one floating near her left hand while in the process, still emanating star chakra. When they broke apart, Aki saw her new clothes. "Huh. Cool." The Truthseeker Orb floating near her hand morphed into a shakujō. She looked at Hokori's eyes. She thought, They're not the same. "Hokori, what's with your eyes? I thought you didn't awaken an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan." Hokori opened his eyes to see not only Aki's new transformation, but her chakra flow more prosaically. He slowly helps Aki up and looks at the battle at hand and sees everyone's chakra the same. What is going on here!? Fuyuki smirked. Smart thinking, Hokori! Now, what to do with this guy? Apparently, Amaterasu doesn't work on him. Fuyuki weaved some quick signs then unleashed Blaze Release: Honoikazuchi. Teizen clapped his hands together. "Planetary Devastation!" Astral glanced at the man, his green eyes glinting. "Rinnegan, huh? I see." Astral entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode and summoned a golden sword. Crap! I completely forgot that this guy could use the Seven Pillars, meaning that he has a Tenseigan, Fuyuki thought. Let's play with swords, shall we? Fuyuki summoned her own golden sword and clashed with Astral's. Astral chuckled, "I see you can also use that eye of yours quite proficiently." Astral's smile melted away. "What's this? A new eye?? Fuyuki smiled slightly. "I'm surprised this Library doesn't have knowledge on my eye. Is it because it is relatively recent?" Astral nodded as if he had received knowledge. "I see. That eye is the Seigan, am I correct?" Fuyuki's grip on her golden sword tightened as she applauded, "Wow! You guessed it right! That's right, my eye is the Kekkei Genkai of the Haru Clan. It's not the ONLY Kekkei Genkai I have though!" Torrent Release: Destruction Stream! Fuyuki lowered her blade slightly and released a jet of water from her mouth. It cleanly sliced through Astral's golden sword. Now, Uncle! Teizen was way ahead of Fuyuki. Exactly when Fuyuki's technique cut through the sword, one planetoid became many. Teizen yelled, "Skyline Meteor!!" Chapter 4: Round 2! Clash of the Seven Pillars Fuyuki figured that the Library wouldn't take any damage. She was proven right as she saw no evidence of a crater that would've been left behind from the creation of the planetoid. Fuyuki's golden sword still glowed and she chopped through the ash with them. Fuyuki yelled, "Is that it? That's how powerful the "demon lord" is?" Astral began to laugh, slowly and with madness in its tone. "Interesting. I haven't been pushed this far by any of the other princesses." Suddenly, Fuyuki felt a sensation to her left. She turned and crossed both her golden swords with Astral's. "I also notice that you are quick. Quite quick." Astral blew her back and she crashed into a bookshelf. She jumped out and rocketed towards Astral, again crossing blades. She kicked him away and drew her two swords and imbued both with chakra. She activated her Susanoo and began swiping her blades, yelling, "Susanoo: Swift Star Slicing Stream!" Reiko yelled, "Don't forget I'm here too! Kenjutsu: Swift Star Slicing Stream" Fuyuki deactivated her Susanoo and combined her attack with her sister's. "Hey, we sync up quite well, sis," Fuyuki joked. "Could say the same thing to you, sis," Reiko replied. Astral said, "Hey hey hey. No time for jokes, Princess. It's time to get serious!" Fuyuki raised her eyebrow, "Serious? As you wish!" Fuyuki leapt back and sheathed her swords. Gathering all her Truthseeker Orbs in her left hand, she unleashed a massive golden sword. "Seven Pillars Secret Technique: Ama-no-Saka-hoko!!!" "Shadow Clone Technique." Hokori makes 2 shadow clones by his sides and makes a Water Release: Chakra Explosive Orb while the other two clones add water chakra and normal chakra to the mix. "Before you ask, this is the new technique I made when I was gone. it's called Water Release: Shuriken Explosive Orbs." He explained, "Normally this would be used with my Susanoo but since I no longer have it I have to use shadow clones instead. I can normally do this with just one but the other one will add a extra kick to it, but it will take me minutes to create it. Go help Fuyuki against Astral right now ok, Aki?" Aki wasn't really listening to Hokori as she was watching her teammate create a colossal golden sword. She thought, That can't be just a normal Golden Helical Explosion. At that moment, Aki heard Fuyuki yell "Seven Pillars Secret Technique: Ama-no-Saka-hoko". Aki shook her head. How the heck did she come up with a name for this new technique? We're LITERALLY in the middle of a battle. Astral spoke, "That spear!" Astral layered a barrier of Truthseeker Orbs eight times over. Fuyuki began to stagger but with the help of Reiko, she successfully broke through the shield and impaled Astral. At least it seemed like it. Astral disappeared in a cloud of green and appeared behind Aki, who had stepped out of hiding into the open. Fuyuki immediately used her Amenotejikara to swap places with Aki and crossed her spear with Astral's golden blade. Astral said, "That eye of yours is starting to get annoying. I'll take it!" Astral's hand flew to Fuyuki's face. It went straight through her. "What?!" Astral gasped. Fuyuki smirked and landed a kick on Astral's abdomen. Fuyuki stuck out her tongue. "I ain't telling you what this technique is but it's pretty obvious it makes me intangible." Behind her back, Fuyuki's Truthseeker Orbs formed into a message meant for Teizen. The middle-aged man showed no signs of seeing the message. Fuyuki made the Tiger hand seal and activated her Susanoo. She yelled, "Now, Uncle! Yasaka Beads!" Fuyuki's Susanoo formed one of those beads as she shouted, "Shadow Clone Yasaka Beads!" Fuyuki brandished her spear. "To add some more pain! Ama-no-Saka-hoko!" Astral then froze time. Everything froze, including the Yasaka Beads and Fuyuki's spear. What?! Astral cackled, "I'm surprised you haven't explored your Pillars, my Princess. This is the strongest technique in the Pillar of Acedia; the Last Crest, Chrono Calculation." Astral's smile melted and he hit himself on the head, stupidly sticking his tongue out. "Whoops! I forgot I stopped time." He snapped his fingers and unfroze Fuyuki, Reiko, Teizen, Aki and Hokori's time. Fuyuki gasped. Did he freeze time?! Fuyuki repeated her thoughts, "Did you freeze time, Astral Trinity?" Astral applauded, "You guess right, Princess! This technique creates a bubble of space-time in which its range can be manipulated to be big or small. Inside of this bubble, the user can manipulate time as he pleases at the cost of being stuck in the time bubble for all eternity." Fuyuki smirked, "Seems to be quite the technique with quite a risk." Astral then said, "Yes... With just the snap of my finger, I can slow down your time so much, you perceive as if time had stopped. I commend you for pushing me this far, Seventh Princess of the Seven Pillars." Fuyuki made a shadow clone and it used Chrono Calculation but Fuyuki did it so Astral couldn't tell who used it though. Astral commended, "Hoh... Overwriting mine with your own Chrono. Interesting." Fuyuki caught him off guard and he took the Yasaka Beads head-on. Fuyuki still brandished her golden spear in her left hand with her Chidori active and a golden sword in her right hand with a Rasengan as its core. Fuyuki left out one Truthseeker Orb and manipulated it to display her plan to her uncle and sister. Both made no movement as they read it and made no movement when they accepted the plan. Hokori jumps on top of a bookshelf with a skeletal Susanoo arm and hand by his side while holding a bright shuriken similar to the Rasenshuriken with 4 star blue shuriken and inside of it is a bright red fast spinning 3 stared shuriken inside. "HEY BIG MEAN AND UGLY! TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!" He yelled at Astral. Before Astral come do anything, he found himself grabbed by clones and attached with Adamantine Sealing Chains and Adamantine Attacking Chains. A sneak attack! Impossible! He must've got me in a genjutsu! He thought. Hokori flew forward at full speed, maneuvering the Jutsu in front of him. Hokori strikes Astral with the shuriken and the space around them started to warp inside the attack, the clones surrounding him started to turn into lightning and the chains broke making a sound similar to a Chidori. The jutsu set Astral flying through bookshelves before he could counter the attack at all since the attack was extremely intense looking like a raging cyclone. At a certain point, the ball in the middle blew up and a large bright dome of lighting and water blew up around him with lightning blot scattering arcoss the Library. Hokori looks mortally wounded since the attack did massive damage to his entire body, then it poofed away since it was actually a shadow clone while the real one watched the attack being pulled off. "Hahahahahahaha! Aki! Fuyuki! Teizen! Reiko!! Look at the beautiful fireworks!! Isn't it the best thing you've even seen! Hahahahahaaaaa!" He evilly chuckles looking at the explosion. Chapter 5: Climax! The Princess and the Demon Lord Through the smoke, the Library received no damage. A disembodied voice, unmistakably belonging to Astral cackled, "I have to say that was a good technique. Unfortunately, it doesn't work." What appeared to be clones are now visible. Fuyuki's eyes weren't fooled. They have no chakra network! These aren't normal clones! Are they Afterimage Clones? Astral announced, "You guess right, Princess. Shamanic: Afterimage. The name of this technique. And I'm sure you can guess from which Pillar they derive from." Fuyuki said, "Invidia." Astral used a Truthseeker Orb that turned into a bell that rang like a victory bell. "You guessed right again, Princess! This technique does indeed derive from the Pillar of Invidia." Astral's Truthseeker Orb reverted and the smile melted away. "Well, I should get rid of the others. Seal of the Moon: Ice Prison!" Immediately, Fuyuki saw her friends being coated with ice. Fuyuki used Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi and attacked the ice. "I hate to say this but even the flames of Amaterasu isn't enough to destroy those blocks of ice," Astral lamented. In just five seconds, Fuyuki's comrades were frozen in place. Fuyuki's Universal Stellar Clairvoyance Burst Mode began to act up. Her ethereal crown still glistened as Fuyuki's chakra mode glowed a dark, menacing purple. She asked, "Now it's just us two, Demon Lord. Let's settle this!" Hokori put him arm up, gave thumbs up and looked down knowing that he will most likely die but still knows that he attempted to fight. I wonder, will I ever meet my parents in the afterlife? Will I dream? '' he thought before being completely covered in ice. "I have a question first," Fuyuki asked, "That ice won't kill them, right?" Astral replied, "What you say is true, Princess. This technique won't kill those trapped inside just keep them imprisoned until I release the technique." Fuyuki's left and right hand glowed blue and yellow, respectively. Astral applauded, "I see that you have grasped your abilities." His hands glowed blue and yellow but in the opposite hand as Fuyuki. Holding up his right hand then his left, he said, "The Solar Release and the Lunar Release. Two Kekkei Genkais granted by Stellar Sage Mode. One allows extremely high temperatures the other extremely low temperatures." Fuyuki dashed at Astral and threw a left hook. Astral parried it with his right hand and threw a right uppercut. Fuyuki parried and charged her leg with both Solar Release and Mantra Enchantment. She twisted her body and kicked straight down, aiming for the crown of Astral's head. Suddenly, the afterimages appeared all around her. Fuyuki muttered, "Inferno Style: Flame Explosion!" Spikes of Amaterasu erupted out of Fuyuki's body and she unleashed an omnipotent Silver Helical Explosion, yelling, "Get offa me!" In that confusion, Fuyuki created her golden spear and it erupted out of her right hand, impaling a distracted Astral. He spat out blood. "Nice aim... Princess." Fuyuki's eyes widened as she turned around and saw a spear flying straight at her. She dodged to her left, following the extremely fast object as it tore through the rest of Astral's afterimages and his left leg. "Urgh...! Who...?" Fuyuki's long-distance vision pierced through the Gate to see the weird chef guy standing in a position as if he had just thrown something. She angrily thought, ''That airhead! He could've killed me! I'll give him a BEATING after I finish this guy off. Fuyuki felt her spear wobble in her hand and she whirled around. Astral smiled evilly as he melted away. His disembodied voice cackled again, "Sorry, Princess, but that was an afterimage. I wonder if you can find the real me!" Fuyuki replied, "You wanna play cat and mouse? You're on. Shamanic: Afterimage!" Fuyuki's body shifted in the way of a mirage. She mixed herself in with her afterimages while using Shadow Clone Technique. Even further, she blended in until one of them retreated. That was the real Fuyuki; the others were just clones or afterimages. Wonder if he will notice. Cat and Mouse starts now! The clones and afterimages began attacking their adversaries and as Fuyuki watched from afar, she began to infuse chakra. Think about the sun. Between her hands, yellow began to glow white. It began glowing and a miniature star was born. Sweat began dribbling down Fuyuki's head. This takes quite the amount of chakra. Good thing I still have reserves. Now, what should I call this? Fuyuki called it Solar Release: Red Dwarf. She threw it into the middle of the aerial battle. It detonated in a fiery orange explosion, instantly vaporizing the clones and bookshelves in a radius. To avoid being fryed, she infused her Truthseeker Orbs with Lunar Release and covered herself in layers of it. Her eyes pierced through her barrier to find everything obliterated. Chapter 6: The Princess' Triumph and Former Adversaries Undoing her defense, she saw the Library decimated and slowly repairing itself, releasing violet firefly-ike colors. Is it over? she thought. She then flinched and grabbed at her left arm. Ouch...! A broken arm ''and and artery? Jeez, that backlash...'' She activated her Spring Release and her right hand glowed blue. As soon as she placed her hand on her wound, it stung. OUCH! When finished healing herself (although with a ton of pain), she realized that she is running low on chakra. Still clutching to her left arm, she wandered to Astral, who was half-vaporized. Astral groaned, "Now, that's... a true... master of... the Seven Pillars." A weak smile crossed his face and he laughed, "You going... to finish... me off...?" The tattoo for her Mantra Enchantment changed places from her left leg to her right hand. She activated Mantra Enchantment and focused her chakra cloak into her hand, making it glow dark purple-blue. Fuyuki found the strength for one last powerful punch. She sent her fist flying straight down into Astral's heart tenketsu. Upon contact, blood erupted everywhere, coating Fuyuki in it. She stood up, staring at the ceiling, blood running down her face. It's over now... She looked over at her friends and realized that the ice was melting. They all collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Fuyuki's voice called out, "Are... you guys... okay...?" Her legs gave out as she thought, We won, guys... We actually won...!! Hokori fell down from where he was trapped in ice, not expecting to wake up. Fuyuki did it. He thought as he goes shelf to shelf trying to find Fuyuki. When he found her, he picked her up with his Susanoo hand. He looks at Aki and throws Fuyuki at her. "Take care of the Princess, would ya?" Aki, although surprised, caught Fuyuki cleanly. She yelled, "Hey! Don't throw her!" He says, unwittingly ignoring Aki, "Looks like she is the hero of this adventure." Fuyuki's eyes fluttered. "Aki...?" Aki was crying and healing her with both medical ninjutsu and her Truthseeker Orbs. "You okay, Fuyuki?" She sat up, although still in pain, "Yeah, mostly." Her vision was still swimming so she couldn't see straight. This last battle exhausted my chakra reserves... When her vision finally cleared, she saw someone lying in a heap. Although wobbly, she stood up and trudged over to the person. Fuyuki's heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was. She was about to infuse her left hand with chakra when she realized she was out. Any more and I'll have to use my life force! She groaned, "Why are you here?" A former adversary lay in a heap. Heiwa moaned, "Fu... yu... ki?" She snapped fully awake and gasped, "What are you doing here!?" Fuyuki replied, "I'd like to ask the same question to you!" The two girls were eyeing each other, although they both have no chakra left to fight. Heiwa began explaining, "When I was injured during our second battle, I woke up in here." Pointing at Astral, she continued, "He said nothing and sealed me in ice. Thought I really was going to die there." Fuyuki stood up, still wobbly and low on chakra. She announced, "Let's settle this, girl!" Heiwa dropped prostrate and apologized. "I'm very sorry for assaulting you and killing all of those people. I was being manipulated by that slime, although that is no excuse. I know I cannot atone for my sins, but I would like to apologize-." Fuyuki cut her off by lifting up her face. She put her hand out and smiled, "Okay, I forgive you." The two girls shook hands. The two girls smiled and laughed together, as if they were old friends. Seeing this, Aki flushed and messily cleared her throat. Reiko spoke up though, "Umm... Sis? C'mon, let's go." Fuyuki called, "I'm coming!" Holding out her hand to Heiwa, whose eyes glowed painfully red, she asked if she was following. Gladly taking the hand, Heiwa's smile pierced through the somber atmosphere. Suddenly, the earth shook (not really; more specifically the floor of the Library). A voice resonated off the walls. "Princess... Found the kingdom of the prophecy..." Fuyuki replied, smiling, "I will, I promise. Just let me return to my father to report on this mission." The voice hesitated, as if it was scratching its chin. "Very well. Go on, Princess. Before you go, however," a clicking sound detonated from Heiwa. Suddenly, light purple chakra erupted from her body. Her clothes assimilated into a blue gown and Truthseeker Orbs popped into existence. "A parting gift and a sign of apology to you, Heiwa Chinoike. You were manipulated by him on my orders. I truly apologize. Princess, she will be a duchess in charge of the Hidden Star. I'm afraid Sumaru will have to step down from his leadership position." Reiko spoke up, "My father will have no problem." The voice intoned again, "Go, Princess." Fuyuki turned around and said, "I'll be back!" Chapter 7: Reporting Back to Father Walking outside, she stretched her arms. Most of my chakra has been replenished. She counted heads. "Alright! Uncle Teizen, go and walk my sister back. We'll head home first." Before I do that, I'm gonna POUND that chef! Teizen replied, "Go on, niece. Report to my brother." Fuyuki smiled and took off through the woods. Her purple eyes glowed, searching for the nasty presence of MoRueran. She spotted him and saw that he has nearly become a heap of ash. She unleashed her Spring Release and Aki used her Yin-Yang Release: Mystical Palm Technique. Just moments before Team Inojin returned from the Library of Decease, MoRueran was hugging the icy shell that contained his poor bunny friend, only for the frozen prison to melt and free the little critter. The young Utari gave a weak smile as he found contentment that the effort he made was not in vain, leaving him with no regrets as he would embrace the coming of mortal slumber and transmigration. Miraculously, the boy in purple was pulled back from the brink of death as he was being healed by the two kunoichi. It would only be moments later that the team would find arrangements of eight stones in octagonal formations spread all over Hoshigakure, with the local villagers trying to emulate the duel they saw some time ago, even going so far as trying to speak in what the returning team would believe as gibberish. Thus began the Star Village's development of their interpretations of the Utari techniques, and the Arena Games. "Well time for me to NOT deal with those shenanigan." Hokori claimed. "Had enough fighting for one day....or a few." "Rise and shine, chef," Aki said, "It's time to head back." Fuyuki opened and closed her left fist. Good. My chakra's been restored. She activated her Perfect Susanoo. She brought her friends into the jewel at the forehead of her Susanoo. "You guys ready?" she called. They all nodded and Fuyuki took through the skies. Hokori plots in his mind, I wonder what I should do after this. Maybe start a family or something, Naw, Aki and Fuyuki would be all over me for that. I need to make a legacy for myself by not becoming a Kage. I need to find a inspiration. He thinks throughout the whole flight and grinds through his head about what he should do when he gets home. They pass over a large lake and gets the idea. Collecting the Seven Swords of the Mist would be great. Both Fuyuki and Aki looked at each other. The talk with telepathy began. Fuyuki said, When will this guy remember that we can read his thoughts? Aki replied, I know, right? First things first, he's not going to become a "Kage", he'll become a king or a priest. Fuyuki yelled, Hey! He's marrying ''ME, not you!'' The two girls, although talking telepathically, were easily "heard" by the others by the looks on their faces. Fuyuki cleared her throat, Well, he apparently wants to go on an expedition to collect the remaining Seven Swords of the Mist. Aki replied, Yeah, oh well. This might be inappropriate but how about we do it with your brother? Everyone could see Fuyuki's reaction. Her face twisted into grotesqueness. A-a-a-a-are you suggesting ''INCEST?!'' Aki realized she messed up epically. Umm... I meant I just do your brother...? Fuyuki's face went back to normal as she replied, I'm sorry, Aki, but I can't let just anyone take my brother's virginity. I'll be his first! With that, the telepathical chat ended, mostly with Aki hitting herself on the head. A few minutes later, her Susanoo could be seen from Konoha. Ryo made a face like What the HECK are you doing?! Soon, screams arose from Konoha as they saw the Susanoo, until it suddenly quieted. The village knows Fuyuki's Susanoo quite well. The screams turned to cheers as people began shouting, "She's back! The Goddess has returned!" Fuyuki released her friends to free-fall for two seconds as she wanted to talk through the whole village through her Susanoo. "Umm... Instead of Goddess, mind calling me Queen?" She flashed her left eye toward the Hokage's office. Ryo bolted up as he knows Fuyuki's signal. Ryo flashed back to Fuyuki with his Rinnegan. Fuyuki nodded, deactivating her Susanoo and her royal gowns appearing again. She landed nice and slow and Hokori began chewing her out. Hokori is in the middle of a conversation/argument with Fuyuki, "Fuyuki, for the last time, I can't be your husband. Even though being King would be pretty cool, I want to follow my own path. Beside, I don't even know how to use Star Chakra Mode in the first place!" Fuyuki placed her hands on his shoulders. "Go, Hokori. If that's what your heart's telling you to do, then go. I have no right to hold you back." Fuyuki hesitated for a second, blushing wildly. She steeled herself and moved in on Hokori's lips. She thought, Will this be the last time I taste his strawberry lips? She broke away, smiled and headed to her father. Aki said, "I honestly have nothing else to add to Fuyuki's words." Aki was less hesitant than Fuyuki and made her kiss quicker. She smiled and followed after Fuyuki. Once back at the Hidden Leaf Village, MoRueran returned to the out-of-the-way specialty eatery to work for as long as he needed before he was to take on another mission. Once inside, the peculiar youth was preparing many pastries and and confections with the same proficiency as the head chef, having picked up many of the tricks of the trade from his fellow chefs and the head. Whatever wages he made when taking on ninja missions were all invested in procuring ingredients for the panacea that was keeping him, his family, and basically his entire race alive. During his 10-minute break, the odd fellow took out an Azoth, a dark purple orb that was the incredibly potent medicinal food that staved off the effects of the aberration all Utari harbored within the center where their chakras pool into. Sooner or later, the price for his combative skills would catch up to him, to which even Mo was well aware of. Everyday for the rest of what little life he had left would feel like a Friday to him; mastery over the abilities of his people also meant whittling away his already shortened life span, where it was possible that he wouldn't be able to live past the age of 20. This was the life he lived, trying to find as much joy in a fleeting existence as possible, prompting those few outside of the immigrant community who knew to see them as creatures deserving of pity. On the contrary, all of the people who came from Mimtar found that their minimal duration upon this earthly plane gave them a greater sense of purpose, a driving force to leave something that would far outlive them. Split Chapter 1a: Backstory Unfolds Hokori changes his outfit since the one he was wearing was busted up; he decided to wear his normal shinobi outfit that he got from being promoted to Jonin and a mask over his mouth and nose since he didn't want to get bad looks around town like he always gets. He walks around town and thinks about who should join him on his expedition. A few minutes later, he passes by a blacksmith and thinks about getting a sword especially for him. He puts walks into the smithy, "Hello? Is anyone here?" A girl looks down from a top balcony, "Hold on!" She drops down in front of Hokori. "Hello, welcome to my hobby and job. My name is Sukiru Hagane, how may I help you today?" Hokori coughed, trying to change his voice to make it a little different. "Sorry, I had a little something in my throat. I would like to have a specially-crafted sword." He pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to her. Unfolding and reading the paper she was quite impressed on how specific the picture looked and the materials needed for it. "You really know your swords, but Imma have to order most of these metals from Kirigakure so you have to wait a few days until it's ready," she said in a kind manner. She summons a messenger turtle, puts a scroll on it with the specific metals written in it and sends it to the village. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" he says, "I want to know about your swordsmanship." She turns around and starts walking to a staircase. "Follow me if you want to chat; today, I'm free." she replies. He followed her upstairs and into a separate room which looks to be a bedroom. "Welcome to my house, outside of the Forge. Before I tell you how I became a great swordswoman, tell me about yourself?" Hokori tries to think of a name so not to look suspicious. "My name is Kenma Nara," he said, lying about his name. "Kenma Nara? I haven't heard of you around town. That's pretty shocking since I know almost everyone in the village. Tell me about yourself, I like new people," she asked curiously. Hokori was thinking about a fake story, which was really hard since he didn't know what to say. She throws a thick black book at Hokori, "That's the journal of my idol. I'll tell you right now that he was a Uchiha and an amazing swordsmen that killed hundreds of people during the Fourth Shinobi World War and wanted to see the world burn. But then when he found out he couldn't use Amaterasu, he gave up and began writing in that journal. He went through a depression until he found a woman that was also going through a bad time, they fell in love and was having a kid on the way... I never read the last entry though since he's dead, but he was my motivation to become a swordsman." Hokori looked through the book. "He must've been pretty great then." Hokori then chuckled. "Hey, since I have the time and you want to know why I'm a good swordsman, go ahead and read the last entry. I'm curious about it," she announced. He looked at her then back to the book. He flipped through the pages and started at the last entry: #515. Hokori closes the book, putting his hand on his face and crying. "Wait, Hokori Uzumaki? That's his SON!?" she yelled at the top of her lungs. He coughs, fixing his voice and pulls his mask down with his other hand. Sukiru looks at him and begins to conflict herself. I've hated Hokori for SO LONG because of those whores on his team but who would have guessed that he would be Rui Uchiha's son!? Extra Chapter I: The Utari Duels Meanwhile on the other side of Dante's Gate, MoRueran was dutifully guarding the portal in his usually silly fashion. These happy-go-lucky antics were further enhanced by the fact that the man-child in trench coats was cradling a wild bunny he befriended while on his travels, towards which he would occasionally sing a little tune in his own language to, ">Hoppy-floppy-honey-bunny, super soft and fluffy-wuffy<". Yes indeed, things got pretty childish real quick. MoRueran wandered about in the wilderness surrounding the Hidden Star Village, which was situated in the heavily forested Land of Bears. It was most likely the prospect of encountering a huge brown fluff ball bear that encouraged the ninja cook to go explore with his bunny companion in his arms, which was just as well considering as some of the local shinobi here offered to take a turn at guarding the portal to who-knew-where. The simple-minded young boy immersed himself in the beauty that was everywhere his eyes would gaze upon, to the lush trees, the streaming rivers, the majestic hilltops, a man clad in purple who was brandishing his Ruinous Strike... Wait, what??? Approaching the immigrant shinobi was a fellow countryman from their homeland of Mimtar, another Utari. Gently setting his little friend down next to a tree, Mo saw this as his chance to finally indulge in a bit of a common occurrence of his place of origin: combat. Firstly, there were to be an exchange of formalities as well as inquiring what the other has done, and whether or not their ventures have been fruitful in acquiring the ingredients for Azoth. The man who called himself Yupo Ape (Brother Fire) was a few years older than him, but had a rugged look to him as though he has spent much of his time in these ninja lands within this particular forest. ">You have lived among these people who care not for our ways, Little Slope...<", Yupo said as the two circled around each other, the tension and anticipation being akin to an electrifying experience, ">I care not for their laws that restrict my way of life, my way of being, the very nature of which you and I exist by<" ">Brother Fire, though I was but a waif in the arms of my mother, my heart roared with the battle cries of my ancestors<", MoRueran stated as his demeanor was much different than his usually silly and infantile self, ">let us engage in the dance of chaos to appease the gods as our forefathers have, I wish to validate and prove that my life has worth and meaning in the eyes of myself and ALL of creation, I am READY<". A total of 8 Dogu (DOH-goo) statuettes were placed, 4 from each of the two would-be combatants, in an octagonal formation to serve as a boundary separating them from the rest of the world around them. MoRueran engaged his Ruinous Strike on his right hand and meet it against Yupo's left, a quick tap of the hands would spark the beginning of a heated high-speed battle. In single combat, the two fighters who hailed from the land of Mimtar would first engage in martial arts exchanges, one trying to get a feel for the capabilities of the other, their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Yupo favored a more stable, grounded footing with a strict economy of movement, he was someone who was straightforward and stuck by simple but effective means to ensure a victory. MoRueran was young and nimble, he was a completely reactionary fighter who relied on acrobatic feats, and unpredictable maneuvers and attacks to offset and eventually undermine a person's defenses. In terms of speed and dexterity, the two appeared to be evenly matched blow-for-blow, but it was Yupo who had the advantage due to having more experience in battle and acquiring a greater variety of skills. The heated duel continued, neither side yielding any ground to their opposition as they continued striking and trying to make a connecting hit on the other. The Utari fighting style was one that often emphasized the usage of unpredictable and awkward motions to keep enemies guessing, using flurries, flourishes, and mounting swift counterattacks to try and initiate an incredibly fast combination chain, preferring to keep the opponent staggered for as long as possible to unleash a devastating series of damaging impacts. The usage of more chakra-based attacks was initiated by Mo in an attempt to end the fight as soon as possible. When he got close enough to Yupo, he unleashed a Foreign Lord's Roar as a surprise attack, though this somehow failed due to the older man being able to dodge the incoming shock wave and made a sweep kick to try and topple him off balance, the Leaf Chef responded by shooting a small Ruinous Spear through his left index and middle finger and aimed it towards where his adversary was. Extra Chapter II: Tradition and Innovation The tumultuous sounds made by the duel attracted all but the most dutiful residents of Hoshigakure, curiosity and concern colored the reasons as to why they would venture out of the safety of their own village. Some thought they might be under attack, others saw this as a perfect opportunity to escape boredom, and fewer still were more than willing to volunteer and venture out to investigate, if only to further some ulterior motive. In every shinobi village, there will always be some individual or groups of individuals who will find any reason to be discontent and voice their complaints with the utmost zeal. These naysayers were a minority where the prevailing view was that the more frequent interactions between their village and those of major powers like Konoha was a gift that contributed to their growing prosperity and opened otherwise closed-off avenues to explore. Between the group full of youngsters having fantasies of seeing the world and meeting exotic people, and the more conservative group who saw the influences of these outsiders as a cancerous source of corruption and a means of wiping away their own cultural identity, the two groups soon found themselves in total agreement at the captivating sight that they have come to witness. The skill and power displayed by the two Utari fighters was in such a way that it was like a beautiful dance, with their aberrant chakra sparkling and arcing to form dazzling lights, like luminescent flowers that came and went in the very blink of an eye. The younger of the contenders seemed to have an answer for every solid offensive and counter-offensive that the senior was dishing out; likewise, the older male was like an insurmountable fortress as he was able to either redirect or downright stone wall the rapid and unpredictable strikes and maneuvers coupled with the occasional power blow to some unforeseen opening, only to be met with a total shut down that came just as quickly. Mesmerized, it was as though the two challenged each other very frequently rather than this being a spontaneous match-up between strangers. The villagers started getting caught up in the sheer thrill that the exchange brought that they started placing bets on who would win, others started analyzing the fight and what served as the arena, trying to piece together the psychology behind it as well as trying to deduce what sort of significance that the eight statuettes served. It started occurring to the Hoshi-nin in the large audience that this could be a healthy outlet for shinobi of any skill level to showcase their abilities whenever they wanted against anyone of equally varying levels of skill with circumstantial advantages and disadvantages. It would probably be years after this duel between the foreigners that the Arena Games would become a reality, with statues of the very first Hidden Star Village Arena Game being made in honor of these two mysterious practitioners of such wondrous prowess. Extra Crapter III: None The Wiser The duel between the two individuals from Mimtar came to an anticlimactic end, as the two purple-clad strangers gradually slowed and eventually ceased their contest altogether where they then proceeded to pick up the statuettes. Much of the audience actually started flinging groans and expletives at losing their bets, to which the funny part about it was that both the side betting on Mo and the side that placed their bets on Yupo lost. The sole winner who took home the pot was one crazy old man wearing a tin foil hat who actually bet that the two would reach a tie. Completely oblivious of the fortunes that were changing hands, Yupo addressed his younger countryman by saying ">you are not lacking in all that you do for someone your age, though you still have much to improve upon if you are to truly make the ancestors proud, fellow child of the Open Space<". In response to this, MoRueran tapped the fingertips of his right hand onto his forehead, a customary greeting exchanged among Utari symbolizing how one has begun knowing the person that was before them. ">You honor me greatly with your truth Brother Fire, I shall reflect upon it so I shall alleviate the shortcomings born from my ignorance<". With an exchange of notes pertaining to viable locations that might be rich with the ingredients needed for Azoth and a departing salutation, Yupo strode off to return to his home in the forest where he was already hard at work cultivating some of the said components. Mo returned to the gate to resume his dutiful guarding while he would nuzzle his new bunny friend and wait for the others to come back from the other side; to his misfortune, his little companion slipped out of his grasp and was starting to become engulfed in a mysterious icy shell. The Utari boy panicked, he tried breaking the poor fur ball out and free him but to no avail, every measure he took to remove the ice without harming the creature inside failed. The weirdo in purple began to sob at not being able to help the animal, his sorrow accumulating as many thoughts began filling his mind. This was his fault. His carelessness had gotten an innocent into a potentially irreparable state. The bunny was dying before his eyes. Death...? Was this what death looked like first hand without the protection of his Battle Schizophrenia? He couldn't accept it happening. He WILL not accept it happening. Anger was filling him to his very being, it was overflowing like a glass with excess wine spilling out of it. Manifesting the Foreign Lord's Power, engulfing himself in a brilliant purple radioactive aura, Mo started reciting an incantation ">I sit on the floor, for it is my will to do so. The seat I have taken is of the hallowed earth that sustains us all. I take perch upon this ground made sacred as a testament to my dreams. At the summit will I find my journey fulfilled, at the peak will I reach my zenith. And so I shall rise to see the top, for the world is MY throne<". adjusting himself to take a more stable stance, he was gathering as much destructive force as he could before he released a torrent of power through the gate, "Shin Shoumetsu no Yari (True Ruinous Spear)". In his attempt at vengeance, MoRueran's attack traveled a great distance through the Library of Decease, destroying every obstacle that was in its path as it reached as far as where Team Inojin was fighting Astral. The massive blast of aberrant energy was still so fast and potent, that it managed to catch the library's caretaker off guard, destroying some of his after images and instantly vaporizing his left leg. On the other side, the man-child with a chef hat collapsed onto the ground and away from the gate, the price for exerting as much as he did manifesting itself by slowly turning his feet to ash. If you want to read about Fuyuki and the Oraculum Kingdom, head to Chronicles of the Leaf: The Thousand-Year Old Prophecy If you want to read about Hokori's expedition for the Seven Mist Swords, head to Chronicles of the Leaf: Misty Blades of Death.